Wells then
by EyesOnly-with-wifi
Summary: Harrison Wells's previously unheard-of niece goes to the CCPD with new information on the Accelerator Explosion.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N - An alternate take on the night of the Accelerator explosion. Contains an OC and there will be a sequel called After Dawn. Slight hints of AU.  
**

 **Sorry this first chapter is so bad, the next one will be better.**

"I feel as though I should say something profound like 'one small step for man' but all I can think of to say is, I feel as though I've waited for this day for centuries," said Dr Harrison Wells. He touched the computer and it registered his fingerprints - and the Particle Accelerator was on.

"That's it? You'd think there'd be, like, a loud bang," said Cisco Ramon. There had been such a huge build up then – it was on.

Structural engineer Ronnie Raymond replied, "If there was a loud bang, we'd all be in big trouble."

His fiancée Dr Caitlin Snow smiled at him proudly. "Take it from the guy who helped build it." They had been planning their honeymoon and wedding for most of the evening, and they were adorably in love.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we did it!" announced Dr Wells. Feeling as though the rest of his life had simply been a run up to this moment, he popped open the champagne. But it fizzed out and froze mid-air, then dropped to the ground. The lights went out. And there was an almighty crash.

Gripped by fear Cisco was almost too afraid to ask, "Was that..?"

"The loud bang," confirmed Ronnie.

The lights went on but the atmosphere was different. Gone was the joy of five seconds ago and all that remained was raw, unadulterated terror.

Meanwhile...

Claudia Wells didn't want to be there, but she was there to see her uncle. She had never actually met the guy, but he was her mum's brother, so when he built some science thing apparently it was her familial duty to watch it turn on. She was surprised at how many people were protesting. Usually scientific advancements were given huge support. Maybe they just didn't like Harrison, he wasn't exactly the nicest guy to be around, or so she'd been told.

After the presentation, she wanted to find Harrison. Her mom wanted him to at least know she'd been, and that not all the Wells family hated him. She wandered up a staircase and into a narrow corridor. This can't be right, she thought. Where am I?

Then things got really ugly. The lights went off, came back on and before she knew it the corridor was far too hot. That can't be good. She could see flames licking their way towards her and thought quickly. Assessing the room, she decided her best option was the window. Not the wisest decision ever, but worth a shot, she reasoned.

Feeling slightly ill, Claudia closed her eyes and waited for the ground to punch her in the face, wincing. Today is not my day, she thought.

When Claudia woke up, the memories hit her like a ton of bricks.

"Let's gain some logical order here," she told herself sternly. "My name is Claudia Wells, I'm 15 years old, my uncle built a Particle Accelerator..."

She tried to sit up then thought better of it when the world started spinning. She cast her eyes around her surroundings. Rubble, dirt, dust, lots of dust, and sky. She slowly stood and began to explore.

"Is that..." she breathed. And it was. The ruins of what had once been S.T.A.R. labs surrounded her. One thing caught her eye - a sign for the lab. As she looked at it, Claudia could have sworn it was moving. Floating upwards like gravity didn't act on it. One by one other bits of wreckage began to rise too.

"Well, this is new."


	2. Chapter 2

"Excuse me?" asked a young girl, knocking on the door to Joe's office. She had long, straight blonde hair, piercing blue eyes and was dressed in a violet blouse and white skirt. "Are you detective Joe West?" When he nodded she took a step closer to the desk and fiddled with the silver ring on her right hand. "I need to speak to you in private." She saw him frown and look at the pile of paperwork in front of him and clarified, "it's about Harrison Wells."

Joe led the girl through to an empty interrogation room. She closed the door, not taking her eyes off him, and leant on it. "My name is Claudia Wells, Harrison is my uncle," she said.

Joe looked at her in surprise. "I don't know him too well, but he's never mentioned any family."

She glanced momentarily at the floor before speaking. "That's because we've never met. However...I do know he hasn't been entirely honest with you."

If Joe had been surprised before, he was flabbergasted now. His mouth fell open and he closed it before asking, "how much do you know?"

Claudia took a step forward and looked him in the eye. "His wife, Tess Morgan, died in a car accident, he isn't really paralysed and he's a metahuman." Her pronunciation of 'metahuman' was a little uncertain but apart from that she knew what she was talking about.

Joe gripped the back of a chair.

"I thought it was horrible when I found out, and decided to come to you, Bartholomew Allen's foster dad, to try and help," she explained.

Joe was taken aback by how much she knew. However, he was against interrogating young girls with evil uncles upon first meeting them. "We call him Barry," he said.

"Barry," smiled Claudia. Quickly getting back to business she clasped het hands together. "I've arranged for my brother Jem to drive us to S.T.A.R. labs to speak to Caitlin, Cisco and Barry, if that's ok?"

Joe let out a slow breath, "you don't waste time, do you?"

Claudia smiled, and Joe indicated for her to lead the way. "I just need to let Captain Singh know where I'm going then I'll be right with you," said Joe.

Claudia nodded, "I'll meet you by the elevator."

Jem Denisoff was waiting for her in front of the CCPD coat of arms.

"Did you find Joe West?" he signed to his sister.

"Yes, he's on his way here," she signed back. They saw Joe leave the office and walk towards them.

"I'm Jem, nice to meet you," he said, signing as he spoke. Joe looked to Claudia, "is he...?"

She shook her head, "no, I am."

Joe tried to keep his expression unreadable, the way he had been trained to over his career, but neither Claudia nor Jem seemed to much care what his reaction was.

"The car is out front," Jem said and signed.

They followed him to a spacious pale blue Ford Fiesta parked on the curb. Jem slid into the driver's seat, Claudia rode shotgun and Joe was exiled to the back behind Jem. The ride to the lab was short, and nobody felt like conversation. Once they got there, Claudia asked Jem to wait in the car, "because Harrison is _my_ uncle."

"Of course," smiled Jem, nodding.

While they walked in, Joe asked, "so Wells isn't his uncle?"

"He's adopted."

By then they had reached the main lab where Barry, Cisco and Caitlin were working on something sciency.

"Hey Joe and..." Barry trailed off, unsure of who the girl was.

"Claudia," she supplied. "Harrison Wells is my uncle."

Joe looked questioningly at Claudia to see if he could explain. She motioned for him to go ahead.

"She knows about the fake paralysis and that he is the Reverse-Flash," explained Joe. A stunned silence fell across the room.

"He's the reverse-what?" asked Claudia.

"Flash," repeated Caitlin.

"Flash," repeated Joe when he saw Claudia hadn't heard or seen Caitlin speak.

"Is that what you call him?" she asked. They all nodded.

"So, here's the deal," explained Claudia. "I know about the Accelerator and metahumans, and I want to work with you to stop my evil uncle. My name is Claudia Wells. Also, just so you know, I'm deaf," she said.

"You're deaf?" asked Caitlin.

"That's right," she smiled.

"So you read our lips?" the doctor asked.

"Yes. And, you don't have to learn sign language for me, just face me when you talk, speak normally and clue me in if there's anything I miss," she said.

"Will do," said Caitlin.

Claudia's phone buzzed in her pocket and she got it out. "A text from Jem, asking if he can come in."

She looked questioningly at them and Joe nodded, "send him in."

A tall, dark-haired lad of about 25 walked in. He had a short, scruffy beard and wore glasses.

"Jem, were you waiting in the corridor?" asked Claudia, eyebrows raised.

He desperately tried to not look guilty. His sister jokingly punched his arm and laughed.

Cisco immediately liked Jem, especially because his shirt said 'bow ties are cool'. Pop culture for the win! The computer pinged, and Cisco, who had been watching from the lab, rode his swivel chair down the ramp and checked it out.

Jem began signing to her, telling her what was happening. She then filled him in on what she had found, Joe was Barry's foster dad, they called Harrison the Reverse-Flash etc.

"I want to work with them," Claudia signed. "To right Harrison's wrongs."

Jem was horrified. His little sister, his deaf sister, in unimaginable danger from a psychopath with superpowers she'd never met. They got into an argument, Jem trying to dissuade her and his sister accusing him of saying she couldn't do it because of her disability.

"Jem!" she signed angrily, "I believe I told you to wait in the car."

He looked at her coldly. "Whatever, Claudia," he signed on his way out.

Suddenly aware she was in a lab with total strangers after a fight with her brother, Claudia collapsed against the wall.

"Hey," whispered Cisco, touching her shoulder, "are you ok?"

She turned to him in order to read his lips. "Yeah. Jem and I fought. He doesn't want me to work with you."

"Do you?" he asked.

Claudia nodded, biting her lip.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N so there are now two OCs (Claudia and Jem) and to clear things up Chapter 1 takes place on the night of the Accelerator explosion and Chapter 2 takes place about ten months later between episodes 18 and 19 in the show. Also, what do you think of Claudia? Let me know in the comments. Huge thanks to Crazedtroll for reviewing.**

So she did end up working with them, much to the annoyance of Jem, but his sister was a force to be reckoned with and she promised she would not do anything stupid.

Claudia was sat at the computer staring into space. Caitlin walked over and waved to get her attention.

"Can I ask you a question you don't have to answer?" asked Caitlin.

"Why does that always make me worried? Go on," she smiled.

"How do you know about metahumans?"

Claudia shifted in her chair. "Right, so. I was here on the night of the explosion. I survived, but there have been some…changes."

"Changes?" asked Cisco, who had heard their conversation and come to join them.

The young girl nodded. Gesturing to the tablet Caitlin's hands she asked, "may I?"

Caitlin handed it over hesitantly. Claudia passed it to Cisco and said "drop it." Cisco looked at her questioningly. "Trust me."

Obliging, he dropped it. It was only falling for a second before it stopped. Claudia had reached out a hand and it was suspended in mid-air.

"Provided it is falling at a terminal velocity and I would be able to hold it normally, I can cancel the force of gravity," she explained.

After a second Caitlin plucked it out of the air gingerly, holding it by the corner as if it was going to bite her.

"Awesome," gasped Cisco. "I have a name for her. Wait for it…the Wicked Witch, cos she can defy gravity!"

Barry stood outside S.T.A.R. labs with Claudia. He was in his Flash suit in case anything went wrong, and so he could communicate with the two scientists in the lab.

"Ready?" he asked Claudia.

"Yes," she replied, flexing her fingers. A black box dropped off the roof and as soon as it reached a terminal velocity she reached out with her mind and converted the kinetic energy into gravitational potential energy. She'd done it a thousand times before, but this time they were really going to test her. Quickly following were more boxes, and Claudia couldn't keep up. Eventually it was too much and the boxes dropped, leaving her gasping for breath.

"Good work," congratulated Barry. She gave him a feeble thumbs up.

Cisco spoke over the phone and Barry relayed the message to Claudia. "Now we know how much you can hold, we need to see what else you can do. Cisco is going to drop another box and this time we want you to freeze it and try to move it," he explained. Another box came down, stopped, and then nothing happened. She was clenching her fists and her knuckles turned white, but the box stayed still. Releasing it, she sighed.

"Last test now," promised Barry. "The box is going to come out sideways and I want you to stop it." The box shot out of the wall opposite them. It shuddered, but carried on moving.

Panting from the effort Claudia said, "I know I can do better. Let me try again!"

Barry shook his head. "That's enough for now."

They went back inside where Cisco high fived Claudia. "That was awesome!" he said. "We need to celebrate. Drinks on me?"

Barry had to get back to the CCPD and Caitlin wasn't feeling well.

"I'm not old enough to drink alcohol but I'll still come," offered Claudia. At the pub Cisco had a beer and Claudia ordered lemonade. "So how long had you been working for my uncle before…you know?" she asked, stirring her drink.

"About two years. Yeah, I started around a year before the explosion," he said.

"And you never thought to leave after what the Accelerator did to the city?"

"There was never any question of Caitlin and I leaving. We trusted Dr Wells, weird as it sounds now. But you must have some good stories to tell, being related to the elusive Harrison Wells?" he enquired.

Claudia smiled, "I wish, but I never actually met him. I saw him the night I was changed, but never spoke." She stared into her drink, "deaf people are good at reading body language, and when I found him later something seemed off. I followed him, and his house is made of glass so it was fairly easy to suss him out. First, I saw him take off his glasses. Now, Jem's prescription is fairly high and he only takes his off if he has to, so that struck me as strange. Then he got up, walked around and used superspeed with red lightning. All this got me thinking, so I got Jem to do some snooping – he has a few friends around – and here I am."

Cisco was impressed.

"And there's one more thing. My mom always told me that a few days after I was born Harrison and his wife gave me my middle name, but when she saw him a few years later he never even mentioned it, which she thought was weird given the circumstances."

"What is your middle name?" he asked.

"Tess."


	4. Chapter 4

"So that's how you know about-" Cisco was cut off by the glass of the bar window shattering. He grabbed Claudia by the hand and pulled her under the table, ignoring her confused protests. A shockingly familiar young man walked through the gap, glass cracking under his feet. Cisco felt Claudia take his hand, and they hid there. Waiting.

She noticed recognition on his face. "Who is he?" she mouthed, enunciating carefully so he would be able to read her lips. She didn't dare speak in case they were overheard.

He hadn't wanted her to find out yet, but he'd been attempting to learn sign language. All he'd done so far was the alphabet, but it was enough. H-A-R-T-L-E-Y R-A-T-H-A-W-A-Y, he spelt.

Claudia frowned, "who?". The footsteps passed her line of vision and the young man crouched down. The lighting made his lips hard to read but she managed to catch 'Cisco' 'time' and 'Harrison Wells'. She saw Cisco's lips move then before she knew it she was being dragged out from under the table by her hair. It stung, but that was not her main concern.

"Hurt her and it will be the last thing you do," said Cisco. Claudia, even though she was in no physical pain, was fighting the urge to throw up from fear. She had no clue what was going on and didn't expect to find out any time soon. Cisco said something, and Hartley struck her on the cheek. She fell to the floor, cheek burning, and she tasted blood in her mouth. It was only when salt water entered the cut and stung when she noticed she was crying.

Two other people followed this Hartley guy, one holding some sort of freeze ray and another holding a handheld flame-thrower. They frogmarched Claudia and Cisco into a van, then began speaking outside.

From her vantage point, Claudia could read their lips.

"Harrison will be pleased with these two," said Hartley, and Claudia repeated it to Cisco.

She relayed their short conversation.

"The weapon is ready," said Hartley.

"What are we going to do with them?" asked Heat-guy.

"Mick," warned Cold-guy.

"No, no. We are going to make them pay," said Hartley. He got in and began driving.

"Well that doesn't sound good," sighed Cisco.

"No kidding," said Claudia.

After a bumpy and tense journey, they arrived at some sort of warehouse. They were dragged in, and thrown into two chairs.

"What do you want from us?" asked Claudia as their legs were tied, but arms left free. Clearly they were trusted not to be foolish enough to try and escape.

Hartley laughed, then pushed a handheld device and the room was filled with an ungodly, piercing screeching and Cisco put his hands over his ears, face contorted in pain. Claudia did the same. Still laughing, Hartley left the room.

"Can you hear it?" Cisco mouthed to her.

"No, but he doesn't know that," she mouthed, enunciating very carefully so he would be able to read her lips. She gasped as Hartley walked back in.

Saying something, he hit Cisco over the head, but the engineer was too busy covering his ears to fight back. Claudia tipped the chair her legs were tied to over, then dragged herself towards Hartley. Grabbing the device out of his hand, she threw it against the nearest wall and felt oddly satisfied as it smashed into a thousand pieces.

Cisco slowly removed his hands from his ears, looking at her in admiration. Panting, she smiled at him.

A tall man walked out of the shadows clapping. "Very good," he said, signing at the same time. "Very, very good."

It was Harrison Wells.

"I almost thought we weren't going to meet," he said to Claudia.

"You know sign language?" she asked.

"I don't, but the owner of this body learnt. You see, I am Eobard Thawne. I am from the future and you feature quite prominently in my plan to get home."

"Thank goodness. I was worried I'd have to read your lips in this terrible light while you tell us your evil plan and how to stop it."

"Ha ha. Now why would I do that?"

"That's what evil masterminds always do."

"Well I'm not like other evil masterminds. I am responsible for what I did to myself and," he looked her in the eye, "for what I did to you. I have made many decisions in my life: fighting Barry Allen, killing Harrison Wells, making S.T.A.R. labs, but the decision to switch on the Particle Accelerator is the one I regret the most. I had to, to make the Flash, but I still regret. Not for myself, not for the people who died, not even for Ronnie, Caitlin and Cisco. But for people like you whose ordinary lives were changed in a split second. From pawns to knights, ordinary to extraordinary. But you, Claudia Wells, are different. More powerful than anybody I have ever seen. You are not known in the future which makes me wonder…what is your destiny?"

He walked out, leaving them both reeling from his speech.

Cisco fiddled with the rope on his legs and managed to untie it, then did hers as well.

Claudia dragged herself up, before collapsing to the ground clutching her head. There was something in her mind. Not quite human, but clearly trying to communicate. Who are you? she thought desperately. _Grodd_ , came the reply. She gasped, was that…sound?

What are you?

 _Claudia…good. Hartley…bad._

Is this what words sound like? What's happening to me?

 _Claudia Wells... born deaf._

Yes, that's right. What do you want from me?

 _You need to save Barry._

From who? How do you know me?

As abruptly as the voice had appeared, it vanished. She realised she was curled up in a ball on the floor, and sat up. Looking around, she frowned.

Where am I?


	5. Chapter 5

A tall, older man dressed in army uniform walked out of the shadows. "My name is General Wade Eiling. I hear you are quite a special young girl," he said. Something about him made Claudia shiver. "Let's see what you can do."

Two guards grabbed Claudia from behind and began to march her out of the cell. "No!" she screamed. The two guards dropped her and covered their ears. Even Eiling twitched.

"We'll come back in a few minutes," he said. "Hopefully then you'll be more cooperative." On his way out, Eiling handcuffed Claudia to the radiator, then dropped the key just out of her reach.

The door swung closed, and Claudia waited until she thought they might have left. Now, how do I get out? she wondered. Out of desperation, she looked at the key on the floor and tried to move it. She wasn't thinking about how it was probably impossible, just that she needed to get out. I can't die here. I have so much left here! Jem, Barry, Cisco, Caitlin and I'm halfway through Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows!

Before she knew it the door was open and she slipped out into the dimly lit corridor. She walked down it until she recognised the room she'd been in earlier. Cisco was still there, and she knocked on the small window at eye level. He saw her and she opened the door for him. They both ran for it, not even pausing to think about how dangerous their situation was. After a tense few minutes they made it out of the facility where Cisco hotwired one of the vans – "I am an engineer" – and they drove away.

They headed back to S.T.A.R. labs triumphantly and were greeted by a frantic Jem.

"Oh my stars, are you ok?" he asked and signed.

"We totally had that," said Claudia. "Like, I saved the day."

"No, not that. Barry's been kidnapped."

"What?"

"You heard me!" shouted Jem.

"No, I didn't!" shouted his sister. "And that is why Barry Allen is in danger."

"What? It's not your fault."

"Guys?" Caitlin waved from the computer. "We found Barry."

"Somehow I feel like that's not a good thing," muttered Claudia.

"He's in a warehouse," announced Cisco, but Claudia was steadfastly looking at the floor. Cisco placed a hand her arm, and when she refused to look at him he moved his hand down and took hers. Sighing, she met his eyes. "It's not your fault," he said. "We'll find Barry, together." Claudia closed her eyes and leant against him. At least she wasn't alone. "Hey," whispered Cisco, jogging her arm. "I have something to show you."

A few minutes later Claudia emerged wearing a floor-length black dress with a jagged hem and floaty sleeves.

Cisco explained what it was, "I designed it with a notorious figure in mind, the Wicked Witch of the West. But it's not all style, it will help our Claudia use her powers to the best of her ability. The sleeves won't get in the way of her powers, and also since we can't communicate with her over the phone like we do with Barry, I added a little something extra. What looks like a watch is actually a text-phone, so anything we type here," he pointed to a new keyboard on the desk, "will be transmitted to it letter-by-letter for her to read and her spoken response will be relayed back to us by phone."

"You really thought this through," commented Jem.

"Yeah, well…" said Cisco. Claudia smiled back at him.

Jem signed something to his sister and she signed a reply back at him angrily.

"What…" began Cisco, but Jem shushed him.

More fast signing followed and Jem eventually gave in. "Right," he said, "I'm going to Jitters. I'll leave you to it."

"Jem just told me he won't be responsible if I get hurt. As if I care," said Claudia.

"We have your back," Cisco promised her. "Also, what does this mean? I saw you two do it a lot." He made his right hand into a C shape and held it in front of his chest, then moved it down, back, then forwards again in a curve shape.

"That's my name sign," she explained. "It means awesome with a C. Jem's is clever with a J." She demonstrated placing a fist on her temple and moving her little finger in a J shape twice. "But you can't name yourself, a deaf person has to do it."

"Do I have a name sign?" he asked, fascinated.

Claudia laughed, "when I've thought of one I'll tell you."

"If you're quite finished," snapped Caitlin, "we have a superhero in need of saving."

"And one right here to do it," said Claudia.

 **AN - in this AU Captain Cold, Heatwave, Eobard Thawne and General Eiling are all working together to try and defeat team flash. There's going to be about two more chapters then the sequel. Let me know what you think!**


	6. Chapter 6

"So," began Caitlin, "since you're not Barry we'll drive you to this warehouse and you can do your thing."

"There's got to be a better way to phrase that," winced Cisco.

Claudia laughed, and twirled in her new dress.

They all piled into the car with Caitlin driving. "Are you nervous?" asked Claudia. The doctor was biting her bottom lip and holding the wheel tighter than usual.

Caitlin replied, but was still facing the road and Claudia couldn't see her lips well enough to get what she was saying.

"Pardon?"

Thankfully, they stopped at a traffic light, and Caitlin was able to turn to the younger girl. "I'm worried about you and Barry."

"I'll be careful. This isn't the first time I've been in danger nor will it be the last."

Caitlin nodded. "Thanks. You're just…"

"Deaf?"

"No, young. We're all in our 20s and you're 15! You should still be in school. Speaking of, why aren't you in school? Isn't that illegal?"

"Um…"

Cisco was silently listening to their conversation. Claudia was meant to be at school? They should probably ask Jem about that whenever they next saw him.

"Well, Barry has a job!" argued Claudia. "He drops out on that to fight crime."

"A job isn't the same as school!"

"Isn't it?"

The traffic lights changed, cutting their conversation short. Caitlin gripped the wheel so hard her knuckles turned white. Cisco leaned forward and vibrated his hand just under where Claudia was looking. She turned in her seat to face him.

"You need to go to school. We could be arrested!" he said.

"Let me worry about that. But first, we need to rescue Barry," sighed Claudia.

They reached the warehouse, and Caitlin stopped the car. They got out, and walked to the door. Claudia noticed something and stopped. A young woman walked out of a side door, noticed them then turned as if she was about to run, but instead jumped onto the roof in one single bound.

"A metahuman," Cisco whispered.

The meta smirked at them then jumped back down and slipped inside.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say she has Barry in there," said Claudia.

The two scientists nodded. "This is what we prepared for," said Caitlin.

Claudia nodded and headed inside slowly. The metahuman saw her immediately. She moved in front of Barry who was tied and gagged in a chair, wearing his flash suit. Claudia took a step forwards and stretched out her hand.

"Just hand him over and nobody gets hurt," she said slowly, as if speaking to a frightened animal. On closer inspection she was even younger than Claudia herself and looked terrified.

"Why should I?" asked the meta. She used a penknife to cut Barry's bonds and leapt onto the rafters.

Claudia sighed, "come down if you want to speak."

The meta presumably replied, but Claudia had no way of knowing. Something flickered just above her line of sight, and she looked at the ceiling. The meta had opened some sort of skylight, and the roof was folding back. Great.

If I could move that key, maybe I can do the same with this chair, she thought. Leaping onto the chair, Claudia focused as hard as she could and the chair began to float. She saw the meta leap onto the remainder of the roof and anger welled up in her. She better not hurt Barry! The chair shuddered and fell back down. New plan, fast. She saw a ladder at the other end of the warehouse and sprinted towards it and climbed. As soon as she reached the roof, Barry strained against the meta's grip.

"We can talk this out," said Claudia.

"No, we can't. and now all of Central City will see the Flash is nothing but a regular guy and these powers are nothing but a curse," said the meta. She pushed Barry closer to the edge.

"Wait!" shouted Claudia, reaching out to both of them. "It doesn't have to be like this!"

"Yes," said the meta, "it does." She pushed Barry off the edge, then reeled back in horror at what she had done.

Claudia reached out with her mind to Barry and froze him as soon as he reached terminal velocity. He was screaming, she could feel the vibrations in the air. "See," she said to the young girl, "you're not the only one with powers. It's not a curse, we can help you."

She lowered Barry to the ground where Caitlin and Cisco looked after him. She then led the meta towards the van. "My name is Claudia Wells, we help people like you, people with powers," she explained.

"You mean there's more?" asked the meta.

"Lots more," said Caitlin. "You and Claudia are the only teenagers we've encountered, though."

"You're going to help me?"

"Yes," smiled Claudia. "They helped me."

The meta walked towards Barry, "I'm sorry I tried to kill you."

"You're not the first," he laughed. "It's ok."

 _Back at S.T.A.R. labs_

"I was sure pogo-pins was going to kill Barry," whispered Cisco.

"Pogo-pins, really?" Caitlin shook her head. "And anyway, Claudia saved the day. She always does."

"Yeah, the world always underestimates deaf teenage girls with superpowers."

In the other room, the meta was speaking to Barry and Claudia.

"My name is Mavi Hutton, I am – was – a regular 12-year-old. I was playing on my trampoline when the Accelerator exploded and, well, you saw what I can do. I became a freak. My friends refused to speak to me, my family hid me in case some secret organisation caught wind of me. Again, I'm sorry I tried to kill you, but I just wanted people to know… I don't know what I wanted."

Claudia put a hand on Mavi's arm. "It's alright. We'll help you use your abilities for good."

"Thank you."

"I have a name!" Cisco announced as he entered the room. "The Highriser."

 **AN - the next chapter will be the last, then there will be the sequel After Dawn. Huge thanks to sarahcobbler and superflashfan for reviewing - a story where Barry has a younger sister who is a speedster will be coming along soon!**

 **As always, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.**


	7. Chapter 7

Caitlin and Claudia applauded. Cisco did a little mock bow, and Mavi looked at him in confusion.

"I've got a sign name," said Claudia. She held her left hand out flat, palm up, and made a fist with her right hand pointing downwards and her middle and index fingers upright on her left palm. She then brought her right hand up to shoulder height and moved her left hand slightly higher than her right. Finally, she moved her right hand in an arc shape upwards until the two fingers were resting on her left palm as before. "It's adapted from the sign for jump, because that's what she can do."

Mavi smiled, "I'm honoured you thought up all that for me."

They all laughed.

"Hey," Claudia said quietly, placing a hand on Mavi's arm. "I know it's a strange request, but could you write something down for me? I like to see people's handwriting. It's the closest I can get to hearing their voice."

Mavi obliged, writing ' _my name is Mavi Alexandra Hutton'_

A young man entered S.T.A.R. labs and Claudia instantly ran over to him and nearly knocked him over with a hug. "Jem!"

He smiled at everyone, and Mavi introduced herself. "Mavi Hutton. Also known as the Highriser."

"Jem Denisoff. Also known as Claudia's brother."

"Nice to meet you," smiled Mavi.

"She's a meta, with super high jumping abilities," signed Claudia. "Cisco named her the highriser but I made the sign."

"Cool," signed Jem.

"So, Mavi," said Claudia. "Do you want the tour?"

Jem offered to come with, since he'd barely seen the place. Meanwhile, the two scientists monitored the cameras with Barry.

"This is known as the Cortex, the bunker is downstairs, and through here is the remains of the –" She was cut off when Jem tripped her up. She caught herself on the wall, where the panel slid back to reveal a mysterious room. In one corner was the Reverse-Flash suit she'd seen her uncle wearing. Out of the corner of her eye she saw her brother's hands move, and she didn't approve of what they said.

"Wash your hands with soap," she said and signed angrily.

"Claud, you are seeing this right?" he asked.

"Sadly, yes. I'm getting Caitlin and Cisco – oh my stars," she gasped. A newspaper article stood in front of them dated 10 years in the future.

"The Flash vanishes in crisis," Mavi read aloud. "That can't be good."

"We can't tell them in case it somehow changes the future," decided Claudia.

"We already know," said Caitlin from the doorway. Jem spun his sister round and quickly interpreted.

"Just one question," said Claudia. "Why is his suit _here_? Shouldn't he be, like, wearing it? Or at least have it with him."

"Exactly right." Eobard Thawne said, appearing in the room with a flash of red lightning. He picked up Claudia and vanished again.

"You-"

"Language," warned Caitlin.

"You don't know what I was going to say!" argued Jem.

"No, but that is your sister and I know how much she means to you," said Caitlin.

"Then help me get her back."

"Get off! What do you want with me?" shouted Claudia as he set her down in his too-familiar-for-her-liking lair.

"I want you to work with me."

"Never."

"See, I think you will. Because if you don't I will kill James Denisoff," Eobard said coolly, as if Jem was nothing but a pot plant.

Claudia looked scared, but resolved. "Alright."

"I'll introduce you to the team. HARTLEY!"

Hartley Rathaway entered looking bored. "What do you want?"

"Claudia, I believe you've already met Hartley," he said and signed.

"What's with the hand jives?" asked Hartley.

"She's deaf," said Eobard, indicating to Claudia.

"IT'S NICE TO MEET YOU," he shouted, over-exaggerating his lip patterns.

"It doesn't matter how loud you shout I still can't hear you," said Claudia.

"How did you know I was shouting?"

"Please, guys like you always shout."

Eobard laughed, but Hartley looked murderous. "I don't like her," he muttered.

"I don't like you either," said Claudia.

"How did you –"

"She read your lips," explained Eobard, still laughing.

"Right. I'll get the others, if you're doing introductions." Hartley left, and shortly after three more people entered.

"This is Captain Cold and Heatwave aka Leonard Snart and Mick Rory, and General Wayde Eiling."

Claudia nodded.

"And I have your first mission ready: destroy S.T.A.R. labs."

 **AN: this is the final chapter. Thanks to everybody who read it! After Dawn will be up hopefully sometime soon.**


End file.
